What caused extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna of Sahul?

C N Johnson; J Alroy; N J Beeton; M I Bird; B W Brook; A Cooper; R Gillespie; S Herrando-Pérez; Z Jacobs; G H Miller; G J Prideaux; R G Roberts; M Rodríguez-Rey; F Saltré; C S M Turney; C J A Bradshaw

doi:10.1098/rspb.2015.2399

What caused extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna of Sahul?

Proc Biol Sci. 2016 Feb 10;283(1824):20152399. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2399.

Authors

C N Johnson¹, J Alroy², N J Beeton³, M I Bird⁴, B W Brook³, A Cooper⁵, R Gillespie⁶, S Herrando-Pérez⁷, Z Jacobs⁸, G H Miller⁹, G J Prideaux¹⁰, R G Roberts⁸, M Rodríguez-Rey¹¹, F Saltré¹¹, C S M Turney¹², C J A Bradshaw¹¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia c.n.johnson@utas.edu.au.
² Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
³ School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
⁴ Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Studies, College of Science Technology and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia.
⁵ Australian Centre for Ancient DNA, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.
⁶ Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia Archaeology and Natural History, School of Culture, History and Language, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
⁷ The Environment Institute, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences-Spanish Research Council (CSIC) c/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
⁸ Centre for Archaeological Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia.
⁹ Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0450, USA Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia.
¹⁰ School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia.
¹¹ The Environment Institute, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.
¹² Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.

Abstract

During the Pleistocene, Australia and New Guinea supported a rich assemblage of large vertebrates. Why these animals disappeared has been debated for more than a century and remains controversial. Previous synthetic reviews of this problem have typically focused heavily on particular types of evidence, such as the dating of extinction and human arrival, and have frequently ignored uncertainties and biases that can lead to misinterpretation of this evidence. Here, we review diverse evidence bearing on this issue and conclude that, although many knowledge gaps remain, multiple independent lines of evidence point to direct human impact as the most likely cause of extinction.

Keywords: archeology; climate change; human impacts; palaeoecology; prehistory; quaternary.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Australia
Birds / physiology*
Extinction, Biological*
Humans
Mammals / physiology*
New Guinea
Paleontology
Reptiles / physiology*